Writing Assignment #2-Question #2 Agnews General Strain Theory Robert Agnews General Strain Theory (GST) argues that strain or stress is the major source of criminal motivation. He expands upon Mertons Anomie Theory of strain and stress to include several causes of strain or stress. Agnew categorizes 3 types of strain that produce deviance: the failure to achieve positively valued goals, the loss of positive stimuli, and the introduction of negative stimuli. There are several different actions that can be taken to correct the strain in order to curb deviance, including exercise, counseling, and advocacy programs. Furthermore, we will also look at how this relates to domestic violence.As first mentioned there are 3 categories to Agnews theory. The first category, the failure to achieve positively valued goals, suggests that communities may affect crime rates by influencing goals that residents pursue and the ability to achieve such goals through legitimate channels (Agnew, 1999). This category includes 3 subcategories: the failure to reach ideal goals, the failure to achieve expectations, and the failure to be treated in a fair and just manner. The failure to reach ideal goals also includes personal inadequacies in abilities and skills in achievement of immediate goals. The second subcategory, the failure to achieve expectations will in turn develop into anger, resentment, and disappointment (Akers, p159). This idea relies on the outcome of the persons behavior. Strain is augmented when the actual accomplishments of a person are less than what was anticipated. The last, failure to be treated in a fair and just manner, is a result of differences between a persons personal view of what should happen and the real outcome. This allows individuals to compare and contrast their contributions and outcomes against those of others.The failure to achieve positively valued goals is a central part of GST. It leads one to believe that,...
